LAHORE    -   The Opposition and the Treasury Friday traded barbs on the assembly floor accusing each other of taking inadequate steps to fight off dengue.

The House also witnessed noisy protest by the opposition members for placing official business on day’s agenda in a session requisitioned by the Opposition.

The sitting started with a delay of one hour and 50 minutes and continued for this much time before it was prorogued on completion of the agenda. Deputy Speaker Sardar Dost Mohammad Mazari chaired the session.

On the onset of the sitting, PTI’s Aasia Amjad introduced two bills in the Assembly pertaining to establishment of universities at Rawalpindi and Mianwali. PML-N’s Mohammad Ahmad Khan stood on a point of order and invited chair’s attention towards the Assembly Rules of Procedure. He noted that official business was not part of the day’s agenda and the government could not introduce these bills as per the Assembly rules. Rana Mashhood pleaded that the session had been called on requisition of the opposition and the official business had not been placed on the agenda. Terming the House proceedings illegal, Mashhood said that Deputy Speaker would be responsible for this illegality.

Deputy Speaker, however, maintained that he was not committing any illegality and conducting the entire proceeding as per rules.

During discussion on the dengue epidemic, PML-N’s Khawaja Imran Nazir accused the government of not taking immediate measures to control this disease. He said government was not showing seriousness to control the disease despite the fact that the number of dengue patients in Punjab had touched the figure of 14,000. He held health minister responsible for dengue outbreak in the province.

Health Minister Dr Yasmin Rashid responded by saying that wrong and exaggerated information and figures were being spread with regard to the number of dengue patients. She said only 33 dengue patients were under treatment in Lahore while 4,800 cases had been reported from Rawalpindi.